Do these Panthers have a shot?

Thursday

Jan 2, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Before the season started, I predicted the Carolina Panthers would finish 7-9, and Ron Rivera would be out as head coach after three mediocre seasons. I also predicted the Saints would win the Super Bowl (wavering moderately on that one, would look a lot better if they had home field advantage), over the, ahem, Texans. Well, the Saints have been average at best on the road, that's why they are the No. 6 seed in the NFC for the playoffs, which start this week. Just about anything that could go wrong did for the Texans, and it cost Gary Kubiak his job which, sadly, cost Penn State Bill O'Brien.

Jason Queen

Before the season started, I predicted the Carolina Panthers would finish 7-9, and Ron Rivera would be out as head coach after three mediocre seasons. I also predicted the Saints would win the Super Bowl (wavering moderately on that one, would look a lot better if they had home field advantage), over the, ahem, Texans. Well, the Saints have been average at best on the road, that's why they are the No. 6 seed in the NFC for the playoffs, which start this week. Just about anything that could go wrong did for the Texans, and it cost Gary Kubiak his job which, sadly, cost Penn State Bill O'Brien.I thought the Panthers were good enough to beat the bad teams on their schedule. With the exception of the Week 2 loss in Buffalo, this held true to form. But, that loss to the Bills probably did more for the Panthers than any of their wins. Up three late, Ron Rivera decided to kick a field goal deep in Buffalo territory on fourth-and-one, rather than go for the first down that would have essentially clinched the game. That backfired, E.J. Manuel drove the Bills for the winning touchdown, and it looked like Rivera may not last the season. But Rivera was blasted for that call by every member of the media, and a large percentage of the Panthers' fan base. Two weeks later, Carolina lost in Arizona to drop to 1-3, and I thought Rivera would be fired the next day. He wasn't. As has always been the case, owner Jerry Richardson was extremely patient with him, and it has paid off.Carolina reeled off four straight easy wins over weak opponents and got the fans buzzing about a playoff appearance. Then, for the first time in Rivera's tenure, the Panthers figured out something very important: how to win a close game. In his first two seasons, games that were close in the fourth quarter were almost guaranteed losses for Carolina. The Panthers opened this season with two more, making Rivera 2-14 in games decided by less than a touchdown.In San Francisco, on Nov. 10, that all changed. Carolina went on the road and beat a very good 49ers team 10-9. A week later, on Monday Night Football, the Panthers held off the Patriots — with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and the Super Bowls et. al. Yes, Luke Kuechly got away with a mugging in the end zone to seal the win, but the Panthers won. A week later, Carolina played awful for three quarters then sneaked past the Dolphins 20-16. Two weeks later, in a game for the NFC South lead, the Saints ripped Carolina 31-13, and a lot of flaws were exposed.But after Carolina got a little help from St. Louis, which pounded the Saints, Carolina held off New Orleans to gain control of its own destiny with one week to play. In what most people considered an easy win, Carolina had to survive in Atlanta, 21-20, to lock up the No. 2 seed and a needed week off.After watching the Panthers all year, I have one burning question that I can't get out of my head: are the Panthers any good?Their defense is atrocious. Greg Hardy has turned into a Pro Bowler on the end, which means they are going to have to pony up some major cash to keep the young stud in Charlotte. Kuechly is a dominant force at middle linebacker, and Thomas Davis looked like he did as a rookie out of Georgia.But the secondary is shaky at best, which Brady and Brees (in the first matchup) exposed badly. The offensive line is equally shaky, and Carolina can't run the ball well enough to milk a lead in the fourth quarter. Cam Newton is anything but consistent, which is absolutely maddening for fans. In Newton's defense, the Panthers either aren't terribly talented at receiver or he's been ordered to stop taking chances down the field.So, what does this all mean? While I'd love to see Carolina win the first Super Bowl in franchise history, I'm just not sure all of the pieces are in place just yet. I'm afraid Philly will beat the Panthers fairly easily in the Divisional Round in Charlotte on Jan. 12.I love what Chip Kelly has down for the Eagles, and if they didn't have to go to Seattle for the NFC title game I'd take the Eagles to win the conference. All things being equal, though, I just think the top two seeds in the tournament are just too good. I believe the Broncos will beat the Seahawks in New York to win the world title.Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com. You can follow Jason on twitter at LexDispatch_jq.